School gets £2m to replace classrooms

11:35am Thursday 3rd July 2008

By Lucy Buckland

TEACHERS and pupils at Fynamore School in Calne are celebrating after scooping a £2 million grant to get rid of mobile classrooms.

Headteacher Carolyn Maddox and the team of governors worked for five years trying to secure funding to put up a new building.

Ms Maddox, who has been head since the school opened seven years ago, said: "We worked extremely hard trying to get this grant.

"The mobile classrooms were great but one of them didn't have any toilet facilities and children had to walk across the pavement to the main building.

"In the rain and during the winter months it was difficult for the children so we did want to apply for a walkway.

"But this grant is so much better. The new building, if we do get planning permission for them, will bring a better cohesion to the school.

"We are looking forward to having more space and places for more interactive and one to one sessions with pupils, teachers and adults.

"It will join the school together and we are all incredibly excited about it."

If North Wiltshire District Council approves the plans, work will start on the seven-classroom building this month and it is expected to be finished by September next year.

Ms Maddox said once the building work was finished pupils would play a part in picking out the colour schemes and decorating their classrooms.

"As well as being brand new these buildings will have interactive white boards," she said. "Everyone is thrilled about the possibility of new buildings and we are just keeping our fingers crossed we get planning permission."

A Wiltshire County Council spokesperson said:"At present there are seven temporary classrooms which are over seven years old and it is a high priority of ours to replace these. We are very keen to improve the quality of facilities at Fynamore School and have worked closely with the school to design the new classrooms.

"The scheme will offer better learning conditions which will benefit children in Calne for many years to come."

Fynamore School opened seven years ago to cope with children from new housing in the northern part of Calne. Since then the number of pupils has doubled to more than 400.

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